It is the beginning of February and for university students, that means less than three months left of the semester but at least six months is needed to get everything done.
I was thinking about what this time of year was like when I was in Grade 12. I was writing this column, but with a slightly different name, and I was stressing. I mean, I stress a lot. I overthink things — but I thought university was going to be a walk in the park compared to high school since I would be doing what I love.
I was wrong. I’m even more stressed now.
But thinking about my final year in high school inspired me.
I compiled a list of five things I wish I had known in my final year of high school about going away to university.
1. Make sure you really read over your university’s academic calendar and find out early what you’ll need. Getting some of the basics out of the way in first year will help alleviate some of the stress in your upper years. For me, I have to take a certain amount of credits for each section. For example: I’m set for Group A because it includes English and journalism, but for Group B, I have no interest in courses like psychology, sociology and criminology, so I never would have thought to take those courses to fill a certain requirement. Luckily, I researched my requirements first year, so I was able to check some of them off this year. But it’s so much easier to research early so you have all of first-year to get those requirements under your belt.
2. Don’t bring everything you own to your university dorm. I know in my case, I started watching YouTube videos of people telling me all of the “necessities” you need for your first year all throughout my final year of high school. I was saving and bookmarking them so I could go back to them when packing in the summer. Then, when I actually started getting into the groove of things a month or two into first semester, I questioned myself about why I brought certain things. Like a rug that just collected dust, little trinkets, and every piece of clothing in my closet. Trust me, by the third week in, you’ll be wearing jeans, leggings or sweatpants with your school hoodie for the rest of the school year.
3. Exams are important, but so is your mental health. In high school, I worried a lot about exams. I was scared I would mess up and my future school would take away my scholarship or even revoke my acceptance. But the more you stress, the worse your performance. I would always get so nervous that the easiest questions on exams would be the answers that slipped my mind. You have to take care of yourself in your final year and the same goes for university too, your health is always number one.
4. Stay organized. In high school, I was balancing student council, Interact club, a full course load and extra-curriculars outside of school. I always tried to just organize everything in my head and sometimes, that works, but other times, it can backfire. Invest in a physical planner or an online one, there are free ones on the app store, but I also just found out about a by-subscription planning website called Trello that I find super neat. Starting with planners and organization in high school will come in handy in university. All of a sudden, you’re balancing readings, assignments, midterms, and your clubs and societies. And if you haven’t gotten used to planning out your life, it’ll make it much more difficult. So, start early and prepare yourself for an organized freshman year.
5. Start saving now. If you have a job, put away money from each paycheque, if you’re getting a job in the summer, do the same thing. Even if you’re going to university with scholarships or loans or lines of credit — there’ll always be things you’ll need outside of tuition. Just small stuff, like deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, your prescriptions, new socks (because socks just always seem to disappear). And then there will also be the little things you’ll want. I was not the biggest fan of meal hall on Fridays. I would barely eat because I just didn’t like what they served that day. So sometimes, you want some snacks for your room or even to go out and grab some food with friends. It can be a nice break from the monotony of meal hall.
One more thing, if university isn’t for you, that’s OK, look into a trade or a diploma program. If you think there’s a program that deeply interests you, but your grades aren’t quite where they have to be, look into community college upgrades.
If university is for you, but you don’t want to go away, Cape Breton University offers an array of programs that might fit your interests. The main point is, just because something was right for me, does not mean it’ll be the same for you. Not everyone is meant to do the same thing in life and that’s what’s so cool about post-secondary — there are options.
So, if you’re in your Grade 12 year, take it all in, because the next few months will go by in a breeze. Before you know it, you’ll be in your apartment typing a column for your hometown newspaper while simultaneously writing an assignment due tomorrow in a separate document and listening to a podcast required for a lecture discussion tomorrow night — oh wait, that might just be me.
Number six, learn how to multitask.
Hannah Rudderham is a graduate of Riverview High School in Coxheath. She is studying digital journalism and new media at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B.
